Secrets
by TatorTotTottish
Summary: When Judy Hopps starts keeping secrets, it doesn't Nick Wilde long to catch on, but the two quickly find themselves with a massive communication error. Based on an idea by BeecroftA. JudyxNick
1. Chapter 1

"You ready, Carrots?"

"Ready for what?"

"You. Me. Diner down the street. Wadya say?"

"Can't."

"Great, we'll leave in five. I'm thinking that we eat in the diner for once."

"Nick, were you even listening to me?"

"Do you really want me to answer that question?" Judy Hopps punched Nick Wilde's arm, making him give out a small whine of pain before rubbing the sore area with his paw. Judy laughed as he over exaggerated the punch, now pretending as if he had been shot. "I'm serious!" she giggled. "I'm busy tonight."

"With who-I mean, with what?" Judy giggled again, holding her paw to her mouth in attempt to keep from laughing too loudly. The two were still at work at the Zootopia Police Department, sitting in their chairs in Judy's office cubicle. There was only another hour or so until they would clock out for the night. "I just have plans."

"Well, yeah, you have plans; plans to have dinner with me at the diner down the street," Nick chuckled as he pushed Judy's rolling chair away from him. Judy spun toward the far wall of the cubicle, where she used her feet to gently push her chair back toward the fox. "Not tonight, Nick," she laughed as her chair collided into his. "Alright, spill it, Rabbit. What are you doing?" He pushed her chair again, and she pushed herself back. The conversation continued through their silly game. "I've got to go pick some things up from a shop downtown."

"Can I come?"

"No."

"Why not?"

"It's a long drive, and I want you to pick me up some food and meet me back at the apartment."

"Oh, I see: It's all about you!" Judy laughed at his tone as she pressed her feet to the wall of the cubicle again. "When isn't it?"

"Fair point," Nick smirked. "But seriously, why can't I tag along? You're just shopping."

"Exactly. That would bore you."

"Well, what are you shopping for? It's not a, well, you know," Nick cleared his throat uncomfortably, letting his voice drop to a whisper. "An inappropriate store now, is it?" Judy punched him in the arm as her chair collided with his for the hundredth time. "Nick! No, it isn't!" Nick grinned at her reaction. "Then what kind of store is it?"

"Why do you care so much?"

"I'm nosey," Nick shrugged. "Right to the point, huh?" Judy smiled. "Look, it's just a store. I'm just shopping with a friend, anyway, you'd be bored-oof!" At the word "friend," Nick had jumped up from his chair and had grabbed Judy's chair. Unfortunately, her chair had been in the process of gliding toward the wall, so she hadn't seen him move, and the impact of him grabbing the back of her chair while she had been in motion almost made her fall to the ground. "Friend?" His tone held curiosity, but more suspicion than curiosity. Judy straightened herself back up in the chair and turned to look at Nick. "Yeah, a friend."

"Who is this _friend?_ " Judy raised her eyebrows at him. "Do I detect jealousy?" He quickly let go of her chair and attempted to cover his tracks. "No, I'm just wondering."

"You're doing an awful lot of wondering," Judy giggled as she hopped down from her chair. "I'm your partner, and I'm a cop. Wondering is my job."

"I don't remember jealousy being part of the job description."

"I'm not jealous."

"Ooooh, you so are!" Judy laughed as she saw how hard Nick was trying to put on a false smirk. "I'm not jealous, Carrots, I just want to know." Judy turned off her computer, grabbed the keys to their ZPD SUV, and turned to face Nick. "You want to know if I'm going to go and make out with some animal." Nick blushed a violent shade of red, which sent Judy into another fit of laughter. "Nick, oh my gosh, I'm kidding! It's Clawhauser! I'm going with Clawhauser!" Nick sighed. "You aren't funny, Rabbit."

"Oh, I'm pretty funny," Judy teased as the two began walking toward the exit of the offices. Still laughing, the two made their way into the lobby of the ZPD, where Judy began to say goodbye for the time being. "You promise to get me some food?" Judy asked as she handed him the car keys. "One Veggie Meal as usual."

"Awesome," she smiled. "I'll see you at home."

"Will do, Carrots." Nick leaned in and brushed a kiss across her forehead. In response, Judy closed her eyes and reached up to grip Nick's tie, pulling him closer for the swift moment. After kissing her, Nick lingered slightly, which he always did; it was his instinct way of showing that he could never decide to leave or to stay a little longer. The movement always made Judy's heart flutter. The moment ended as Nick regrettably pulled away. He then acknowledged Clawhauser, who was seated behind the reception desk as usual, by waving at the cheetah. With one last look at Judy, Nick left. Once he was completely out of sight, Judy turned to Clawhauser. "You ready?"

"Are you sure you're comfortable with this?" Clawhauser's usual animated expression was spotted with slight worry. "I'm sure," she replied. "Yeah, but you're lying to him, Judy! You never lie!"

"I know, I know." Judy thumped her foot against the tiled floor as she thought for a minute. She really shouldn't be doing this. She really, really, really shouldn't be doing this, but she needed to. Tonight was the only night she could get away long enough to do it (every other day of the week, the two worked incredibly late into the night). The guilt was beginning to overwhelm Judy, but she tried to remind herself that the secrets and the lies would only go on for a little bit longer, and then she would tell Nick. "There's just no other option right now. Nick will understand, but I can't tell him right now. He'd be furious." A moment of silence fell between the two. "You ready?" Judy asked, trying to brush off the anxiety the situation was causing her. Clawhauser nodded, and with that, the two left the ZPD.


	2. Chapter 2

Judy quietly unlocked the apartment door with her key and crept inside, careful not to step on any of the more loose floorboards. It was just a few minutes until 1:00 AM. Nick was going to _kill_ her. She was nearly there; just a few more feet and she would be safely seated on the couch. Judy used her paws to feel the couch. She felt the edge of the furniture, the couch cushions, and part of the middle seats, but then her paws crossed over something interesting, something she wasn't quite able to identify. Just then, the lights in the apartment flicked on, and there was Nick.

Firstly, he was _pissed_. He was reclining lazily on the couch, one of his arms stretched out over the back of the couch, his paw just a few inches from the light switch he had flicked on. His eyes were locked onto Judy's, as Judy stood there, her paws still resting on Nick's chest as she attempted to feel for the couch. Their faces were inches apart, and the look on Nick's face instantly made Judy curse herself internally. A few seconds of awkward stares and no words passed, and then-

"Where the hell have you been? It's one in the morning!"

"I got called into work!" Judy blurted, the lie easily slipping off of her tongue. Nick's eyes narrowed. "No, you didn't."

"Yes, I did." Another lie. "You're lying."

"No, I'm not," Judy smiled. Lie number three since she had been home. "Carrots, I am not an idiot, and you know I'm a hustler. You aren't getting anything past me. Where have you been?"

"You _were_ a hustler, right?" Judy teased. "We are not playing cute right now, Rabbit. Where have you been?"

"I told you I was shopping." Lie number four. "Were you really?"

"Yes." Lie number five. "Mmm," Nick scoffed, waiting for her to tell the truth. "Carrots."

"I was!" she giggled, trying to lighten the mood. She reached for his tie, so that she could tug at it playfully, but he easily swept it from her grasp. "You're lying to me."

"I'm not!" Six. "Carrots, what's going on?" Judy bit her lip nervously, trying to think of something other than changing the subject. "Nothing it going on, Nick. I went shopping, I promise." Lies seven and eight. Nick continued to stare at her suspiciously, but he didn't have any evidence to prove whether or not she was being truthful, so he remained quiet. Judy stood up and made her way to their small kitchen, where she grabbed her Veggie Meal from the refrigerator. She began to eat immediately. Nick watched with curiosity. "Hungry there?" Judy laughed. "It's been a long day." Nick nodded, as if he were considering a few things. Then, without another word, he went to the bathroom down the hall. Judy heard the water from the sink start running; he was probably washing his face or brushing his teeth. She sat and continued to eat, listening to the water's gentle sounds.

 _CRASH!_

Something in the bathroom shattered, making Judy nearly jump a foot from shock. Her fork fell out of her hand and clattered to the floor. Glancing down at the now dirty utensil, Judy leaned over the kitchen counter that secluded the kitchen from the rest of the house, and peered down the hallway. The bathroom door was open, and the water was still running, but Judy also heard what sounded like a scramble taking place, as if two birds were fighting in the small room. "Nick?" Judy called, trying not to overreact. Without warning, Nick came racing out of the bathroom and toward Judy and stopped at the kitchen counter, fear in his green eyes. "Nick! You scared me!" Judy gripped her chest for a moment. "What is going on? Did you drop something?" Nick didn't answer at first. He was dripping wet, as if he had been in the middle of washing his face when something happened, and his eyes were wide with what seemed to be horror. "Nick? Did you break the toothbrush holder? I swear, I just bought that thing and it wasn't cheap—!"

"Are you pregnant?"

"Am I- _what?_ " The two stared at one another in horror. "Are you pregnant, Judy?" He whispered it, as if scared of her words. Judy stood their, her eyes wide in absolute shock. He had used her first name, something very serious, and looked as if he might throw himself out the window. She then burst out laughing. "Pregnant? HA! You're kidding, right?" Judy clutched at her sides, her laughter racking her small body. "I am not pregnant, Nick," she sighed, wiping the tears that had begun to form at the corners of her eyes. "Do you know that for sure?"

"What?"

"Do you know that for sure?" Nick was still tense, on edge. "I mean, no, I guess? Why?"

"Be honest: what were you doing tonight?"

"I was shopping with Clawhauser." Lie number nine. Nick ran a paw over his wet face, water dripping everywhere. "What were you shopping for? Where is the stuff you bought?"

"With Clawhauser." Lie number ten. Judy felt the guilt rising inside of her; when would the lies end? Couldn't she just tell him? No, she couldn't, that was certain. "Did you buy… _stuff?_ "

"What?"

"Did you… you know, did you…" his voice dropped to a very low pitch. "Did you buy a test?"

"I'm not pregnant, Nick!" The fox then relaxed slightly, and with one final look at Judy, he grabbed the broom and dustpan from the kitchen closet. "I'm going to go sweep up the toothbrush holder," he muttered as he made his way back down the hallway. "Aw, Nick!" Judy yelled after him. "I _just_ bought that! It was my favorite!"

Judy put the rest of her Veggie Meal back into the refrigerator and picked her fork up from the floor. Tossing the piece of silver into the sink, she went back to sit on the couch, where she waited for Nick to finish cleaning up his mess. When Nick returned, he looked stressed, as if the weight of the world was on his shoulders. "Don't scare me like that," he muttered as he collapsed on the couch, his head resting in Judy's lap. Judy laughed as she gently stroked one of his ears. "Trust me, I won't."

Lie number eleven.


	3. Chapter 3

"Clawhauser! You seen the Rabbit today?"

"She isn't with you?"

"She wasn't at the apartment this morning; left before I woke up." Nick noticed it before Clawhauser even realized he had done it: A fleeting glance of worry crossed the cheetah's face, and it wasn't a glance that meant, "I'm worrying about Judy," it was a glance that meant "I'm worrying Nick will find out."

"Hey… what was that?" Nick asked, his eyes now scanning Clawhauser's. "What was what?" More glances of worry. Nick placed his hands on his paws and fixed the oversized cheetah with a lazy expression. "Alright, spill it."

"I don't know what you're talking about."

"Clawhauser, you can't lie to me. You know where Judy is, don't you?"

"Noooooo." His reply was nervous and drawn out, and his eyes kept darting over to the closet just a few feet down the hall from the reception desk. Nick sighed as he began making his way to the closet. "You two are really killing me, you know that?"

"Nick, no!" Clawhauser attempted to get down from his chair and stop Nick before he could open the door, but the fox was in better shape than the cheetah, and Nick reached the door first. Pulling it open, Nick was shocked at the sight before him, and frankly, he was kind of angry too.

"Clawhauser! There are like dozens of boxes of donuts in here, Big Guy, and you didn't share any of them with me!"

In the supply closet, some of the shelves had been cleared of their usual contents and replaced with Clawhauser's secret stash of donuts. "Don't tell Chief." Clawhauser whined. Nick chuckled as he reached in a box and grabbed two glazed donuts. "It'll be our secret." Nick then shut the closet door and made his way toward the ZPD offices. "Now I have secrets with both of them," Clawhauser muttered as he watched the fox's receding figure.

Nick still couldn't find Judy. She wasn't seated in her office cubicle; in fact, the cubicle looked completely untouched since yesterday. He thought Clawhauser of all people would know where to find Judy, but it turned out he was just a donut hoarder. However, he might still know something. Nick had just assumed the donuts were all he was hiding. Nick set the two donuts down on his desk and looked around curiously, wondering where the bunny had gotten off to. That morning, Nick had awoken to find that he was the only one within the apartment. Judy hadn't left a note or texted him, but she did leave the keys to the SUV and had taken her ZPD badge. Yes, Nick was worried, but he wasn't about to let himself panic; this bunny was more than capable of taking care of herself. Nick briefly thought of the time a fox had attacked Judy in an alleyway after she had pursued him, Nick not far behind, but he then shook his head of the images that began to flash in front of his eyes. He didn't need to be reminded of those types of things.

Nick then decided to go grab coffee from their favorite coffee shop. If he couldn't find Judy, he might as well have coffee. He had just exited the ZPD offices and was making his way to the lobby when he heard it: Judy's voice. He was just in front of the locker rooms, and Judy's voice could be clearly heard from the women's locker rooms. It sounded as if she was on her phone.

"…He definitely suspects something, Fru Fru…" And apparantely, she was talking to Fru Fru, an arctic shrew who also happened to be daughter of the crime boss, Mr. Big. The two had been good friends ever since Judy had saved the shrew's life just a day before her wedding. But who was the "he" they were talking about? They couldn't have been talking about him, right? That would mean that Judy was lying to him. Nick leaned against the wall just outside of the locker rooms and listened eagerly.

"…I mean, I don't think he suspects anything like this, because this is big, like I mean, really big! I just don't know how much longer I can keep this up…" So she was lying to him. Nick's ears flattened against his head as he thought about their conversation the night before.

"…All of this lying and sneaking around is just a lot of work, and maybe it will be worth it? I don't know… Who have I talked to? Well, I let Clawhauser know, of course, and the Chief. Flash? Well, I mean I did have to practically wait at the DMV for six hours but I talked to him too. Now Finnick is a tricky little guy to get a hold of, but I managed it…" Nick's eyes narrowed. Clawhauser? The Chief? Flash? _Finnick?_ Geez, talk about "friends."

"…Ha, nah, I'm not really worried about him finding out on his own… Oh, believe me, Nick may be a fox, but he's really not that hard to outwit. I did hustle him once, you know? Yeah, _super_ easy…" In the hall, Nick was trying not to throw a fit. He had his hands in the air, gesturing violently. " _'Super_ easy?'" he whispered in astonishment.

"…Anyway, I'm telling him soon, so no worries… Yeah, I have everything planned, so I'll let you know. I'm just so nervous to tell him. He is going to be so mad… Alright, I will … Okay, talk to you soon, Fru Fru." Nick's eyes widened as he realized she was coming out of the locker rooms. He quickly bolted for the men's locker rooms, attempting to make it look as if he had just casually walked out. However, that went horrible wrong as Nick slipped and fell in the middle of the hall.

"Nick?" Judy was standing with her paws on her hips, looking down at the crumpled mess that was Nick. "What are you doing?" Her voice was suspicious and slightly worried. "Oh, me? I was just… racing Clawhauser." Judy's eyebrows shot up. "Racing Clawhauser?" She looked around and saw Clawhauser seated at the reception desk. He waved cheerfully at her, which she returned before looking skeptically back down at Nick. "He won," Nick laughed as he stood and brushed himself off. "Huh-uh," she giggled. "Where have you been, Carrots? I've been looking for you."

"I lost my phone, thought it was in the locker rooms."

"Was it?"

"No, so I guess I'll just keep looking." Lie number twelve. Nick's eyebrows rose slightly as he noted the lie and noted how easy it was for her to lie to him. How many times had she lied to his face to the point where she was now comfortable with it?


	4. Chapter 4

The day went on as usual as the two went to get coffee, then returned to the ZPD offices, where they continued with work as they took usual calls and filled out usual paperwork. Nick didn't say anything about the call and Judy didn't say anything about the possibility of Nick eavesdropping. Both were scared of the truth. Nick, however, couldn't help but be mad at himself as well as her. Why was she lying to him? How long had she been lying to him? Did he do something that made her think it was okay to lie to his face as if it were nothing? And most importantly: What was she hiding?

Judy was afraid he knew the secrets she was keeping from him. She felt the guilt tear at her heart all throughout the day. She wasn't trying to hurt Nick, it was just for the better. Judy had never been a liar, but now, she was practically a pro at it, which riddled her with guilt and regret. At this point, she had been keeping secrets from Nick for about a month. The secrets had developed just a few days after his muzzle incident. She shivered slightly at that unpleasant memory; she hated thinking of Nick like that. However, she was glad that they had finally received justice. A few weeks after the incident, the four animals were sentenced to prison for breaking and entering, as well as theft. It made Nick feel slightly better, but it bothered him that he couldn't have been the one to send them to jail.

For a month, Judy had guilt tugging at her as she continued on with life as if nothing were happening. Now, she couldn't take it anymore; she had to tell Nick soon, which had spurred all of the suspicion. However, Nick wasn't the only one she was keeping secrets from. Her friends and family were all oblivious to a few secrets she had decided to keep to herself. The pressure of sneaking around and lying was beginning to suffocate her, but she wasn't going to let it anymore. Tonight, she would tell Nick.

It was nearly 3:00 PM when Nick swiveled his chair over to Judy's cubicle, colliding into her chair. They both laughed, pretending nothing was going on. Pretending was easier at this point. As far as they both knew, they could be secretly losing each other, so why not pretend for the time being?

"You hungry, Carrots?"

"Not really." Nick's eyebrows shot up. "Ha, you not hungry? Don't make me laugh." Judy grinned at him. "You make it sound like I am a pig."

"Hey, don't insult the pigs!" Nick laughed as Judy leaned over and playfully punched his arm. "No, but seriously, a Veggie Meal doesn't even sound good to you?" Judy stuck out her tongue. "Yuck, that actually sounds disgusting right now." Nick looked at Judy in complete awe and with minor concern. "Since when do you find vegetables disgusting? And I thought you loved Griz's cooking."

"I do, it just doesn't sound appealing right now."

"You okay?" Judy looked up from her computer. "Yeah, why?"

"You seem…unusual, lately."

"Do I?" Nick nodded. He was easing into the bigger issue, but he was simply skimming the surface at the moment; breaking the tension. "You feeling okay?" Nick leaned forward and placed a paw on Judy's forehead, pretending to take her temperature in the most theatrical way possible. Judy giggled and pushed his hand away. "I don't get sick, Nick." Nick rolled his eyes. "Maybe you should go home for the day just to be sure."

"You and I already miss quite a bit of work as is." Both briefly thought of the traumatic events that had taken place in the last year. "Yeah, but if you're sick, you're sick. Gotta take off work for that, Rabbit."

"I'm not sick." Nick put his paws up in defense. "Alright, alright. I'm going to grab some food for myself then. Text me if you change your mind." With that, Nick set out for the diner, their usual food place. On the drive over, Nick thought about Judy's behavior over the last few days. She wasn't one to hide things, but here she was, hiding everything. At the diner, Nick greeted Dawn, the white-tailed doe hostess, and then made his way back to the kitchen where Griz was, picked up his food as he made some mild conversation with the massive grizzly bear, and then made his way to the exit. That's when he saw Finnick's van parked in an alley across the street. His intrusiveness got the best of him, so he carefully crossed the street and knocked on the back of the van. As usual, Finnick answered the knock with a baseball bat in paw, ready to beat any unsavory visitors to a pulp. "Oh, it's you," the fennec fox growled. "Glad to see you too, Big Guy."

"Haven't seen you in a while. Whatya doing?"

"I have a couple of questions."

"Hey, if this is about my hustling—"

"It's not, it's about Judy." A grin spread across the little fox's face. "You having lady issues?"

"In a sense, yes. She talked to you recently?"

"All business I see," Finnick mocked. At the grave look on Nick's face, he continued. "Yeah, we talked a few days ago."

"What about?"

"I think if she wanted you to know she would have told you."

"I'm asking you." Finnick let out a cackle. "Your girl keeping things from you now, Nick?" Nick didn't reply, a bitter look on his face. Finnick continued to laugh, his deep voice echoing in the van. After his laughter had somewhat ceased, he continued. "Look, all I'm gonna tell you is that maybe you should keep a tighter leash on your girl."

"What's that suppose to mean?" Nick snapped. Finnick shrugged gingerly. "What do you think it means?"

"Are you saying what I think you are?" Finnick shrugged again. "Let's just say that we aren't the only con artists in the world." Nick nodded, his muscles tight. "Thanks, Big Guy. See you around." Nick crossed the street and got into the SUV, where he sat for a moment, his paws clenched tightly around the steering wheel. He sat there for a while, thinking everything over as the sun began to set. The longer Nick sat there in that car, the higher his anger rose. Thinking of what Finnick had said, Nick made a decision.

That was it, the final straw. He was going to see Judy, and he was ending this entire charade right this instant. Suddenly, Nick felt his phone vibrate. Fire coursing through his veins, Nick picked up his phone and saw a text from Judy.

"Where are u? Been gone for hrs…" The phone buzzed again, another text from her. "I miss u. Come see me." She had sent it with a winky face, which only seemed to anger Nick more. He started the SUV and drove to the ZPD, trying not to let his anger overcome him… yet. Once at the ZPD, Nick was practically shaking as he parked the car and began walking along the sidewalk to the entrance of the building. He pushed through the glass doors, where he was met with a cascade of noise.


	5. Chapter 5

"SURPRISE!" The room screamed as every animal present cheered in joy. Some whooped and hooted, while others clapped and yelled out things like "happy birthday." Finnick, Flash and Priscilla, Fru Fru, her husband, and their many children, as well as Mr. Big and his security, were all present at the gathering. The entire lobby of the ZPD was overflowing with animals and decorations. A massive cake topped with blueberries from Judy's family's farm sat next to Clawhauser and Chief Bogo, who were talking, at the reception desk, balloons and streamers littered the ceiling and the floor, and music blasted from speakers that had been strategically placed throughout the room. To anyone, it was the best birthday party they could ask for. Nick, however, did not smile or acknowledge anyone; he was staring right at Judy, hatred in his eyes, not quite understanding that all of the lying had been for a simple party. Confused, Judy motioned him over with her paw. "Happy birthday, Nick!" she smiled big once he was just a few inches away from her. "I hope you like it! It took forever to plan and I kept wondering if this was even worth it—"

"We need to talk." Those four words instantly wiped the grin off of Judy's face. She felt like she had been slapped in the face. Wasn't he enjoying the party? Didn't he like what she had done for him? She had worked so hard…

"What's wrong?"

"Oh, I think you know exactly what's wrong," he hissed. At this point, the party animals nearest the two began to sense the tension and were quieting down to listen to the developing drama. "Excuse me?"

"You heard me."

"Nick, what is wrong with you? You act like you don't even care what's going on!"

"Oh, I'm not the one who doesn't care!" Nick's voice had risen significantly, making the majority of the room stop and stare at this new center of attention. The Chief and Clawhauser stopped talking and nervously looked toward the couple. "What are you talking about?"

"Don't play dumb, Judy!"

The Chief leaned in near Clawhauser's ear. "Have you ever heard him call her by her first name?"

"No," Clawhauser whispered back in horror.

"Play dumb? Nick, you are acting completely crazy right now!"

"Oh, yes, I'm sure I'm the crazy one, huh?" Nick threw his paws in the air and gestured to the room, which was now completely quiet. "I'm sure every animal in here thinks I'm absolutely nuts!"

"Nick, stop it!" Judy exclaimed, completely shocked by Nick's behavior. "I can't believe you are doing this!"

"What about what you did to me? How could you? _How could you?_ If it wasn't working, couldn't you have just let me know? Was this really necessary? I thought we were friends, partners, life mates! … I guess I was wrong." Nick shook his head, tears threatening to spill. Judy's eyebrows furrowed. "What on earth-Nick, you aren't making any sense at all!"

" _Well at least I'm faithful!_ "

The room went dead silent as almost every animal in the room was gripped with shock at Nick's sudden outburst. The words echoed off of the wall as they sunk in, the music and crowd now completely silent. A few gasps could even be heard. Judy's jaw dropped slightly. "How am I supposed to keep their relationship under wraps when they keep shouting about it every chance they get?" the Chief muttered under his breath. "Y-you think I'm _c-cheating_ on you?" Judy asked, incredulous. Nick's reply was that of a puzzled expression. "Wait, you aren't cheating on me?"

" _No!_ " And that's when things began to click into place for Nick. "Oh."

"Oh?' ' _Oh?_ ' What do you mean 'oh?' My God, Nick, what kind of animal do you think I am?"

"Well, this is awkward," Clawhauser whispered. "Awkward doesn't begin to describe it," the Chief mumbled back. An unsettling silence fell over the room once again. "So the call with Fru Fru where you were talking about my friends…"

"Was about the party and inviting them, Nick!"

"And the night you went shopping…"

"Was to get the final decorations!"

"But Finnick said that you—"

"Hey, don't you drag me into this!" Finnick shouted from the back of the room. Nick shot him a look before turning back to his furious life mate. "I-I'm sorry?" Nick grimaced, not entirely sure what to do… this, however, was not the right thing to say. "' _Sorry?_ ' You're going to be sorry, Nicholas Wilde! After all I've done for you, you think I would cheat on you?"

"Well, you were a bit suspicious!"

"It's called a _surprise_ birthday party, Nick!" The Chief cleared his throat, and then winced nervously when every pair of eyes swiveled to look at him. "Officer Wilde, Officer Hopps, can we take this outside?" Nick's mouth was the first to open. "Yes, of course, Chief—"

"Oh, no! He called me out, now I'm calling him out!"

"Carrots, we don't have to do this—"

"Oh, so I'm 'Carrots,' now? What happened to calling me Judy, Nick?"

"Well—"

"What happened is that you found out that I'm not some lying, cheating, foul, deceiving, little—!" Every mammal in the room winced with Judy's insult. "O-o-o-oh this is going to be _good_." A wolf officer laughed as he nudged one of his buddies. "I didn't say you were a—"

"You most definitely did! 'At least I'm faithful,' remember that, Nick?"

"Y-yes, I do, but—"

"You are _unbelievable!_ " Judy took a step forward. Nick took a step back. The whole room was watching the show, enjoying the moment. "Officer Hopps?" The Chief called nervously, but was ignored. Being a full-grown ox, the Chief had never been ignored, but he had to admit that he was honestly afraid of a _rabbit_ in that moment. "I am just-just _so_ mad at you!" Judy yelled as she struggled with the words, her anger making her shake. Nick had never seen her that mad. _No one_ had ever seen her that mad. "I understand, and I don't blame you. Let's just take a few deep breaths, Carrots." Judy took a deep breath, trying to control herself. Without any warning, she then reached over and snatched a cup of punch from a nearby gazelle officer and threw it right at Nick, the red liquid spraying all over him. Noise entered the room again as a number of animals gasped, while other tried to contain their laughter. "Okay, I deserved that," Nick stated as he wiped punch from his face. "You _deserve_ a lot more," she hissed at him as she continued to advance. "And _to think_ I planned this for you!" Judy yelled as she began throwing any party decorations she could get her hands on. " _To think_ I would care enough to do this just for you!" Balloons and streamers continued to fly past Nick's head, but he didn't attempt to dodge them. After all, they were just balloons and streamers; he was more afraid of Judy. " _To think_ I was going to tell you that I—" Judy stopped, tears welling up in her large gorgeous amethyst eyes. "Well, my mistake," she spat bitterly. Nick's ears fell flat against his head. "Carrots, I didn't mean to—"

"I'll be in the car." Nick reached out for her, but she shrugged him off as she walked through the glass doors of the ZPD, the entire crowd watching her little cottontail disappear through the doors.


	6. Chapter 6

Every pair of eyes in the room remained on Nick, who stood completely still in the middle of the room, soaked to the bone with sticky red punch. A few animals coughed uncomfortably. "Okay everyone, go back to your drinks," the Chief announced loudly. In the most awkward way possible, the crowd slowly began to converse and continue on with the party without the birthday fox and the party hostess bunny. Nick stood there, regretting his actions as he became angry with himself for being so stupid and so mean to Judy. What was he thinking? What had he done? Without a word, Nick walked out of the ZPD. Worry filled his heart as he looked for their car in the darkness. "Damn it, Nick, she's all you've got and you just messed it all up," he muttered to himself as he scoured the dark with his night vision, trying to remember where he had parked. A few minutes later found Judy sitting in their SUV that was parked toward the end of the lot. He hesitantly knocked on the window of the passenger door. Judy looked up at him; she had been crying, which made Nick's heart fall at the sight of her. Amazingly, she unlocked the car for him without a word or a mean look. He got into the passenger seat and sat there quietly. Judy sniffled and then let out a small giggle, making Nick look over at her in complete surprise. "Leave it to the dumb fox to mistake a surprise birthday party for me cheating," she muttered. Nick chuckled. "Leave it to the sly bunny to plan a surprise birthday party so well that I have no other choice but to assume you were cheating." Judy looked up at him with a small smile, which Nick returned. "I take it you aren't mad at me anymore?" he asked nervously. "No, I think I got all my anger out in there," Judy replied as she gestured a paw at the ZPD, which was alight with the party. "And besides, it wasn't all your fault. I messed up too." Nick couldn't help but sigh with relief, which Judy scoffed at. "Nick, do you ever think about how our life is kind of like one big movie?"

"Like with villains and good guys and guns and drama and love and junk like that?"

"Exactly like that."

"Then yeah, I do." Nick looked down at Judy fondly. This amazing, hilarious, intelligent, ambitious, gorgeous little bunny was not only in his life, but an animal that he could call "his," and that was the greatest feeling in the world. "Thanks for the party, Carrots," he leaned in to kiss her, but then drew back suddenly, a new thought coming to mind. "Hey, how did you know when my birthday was, anyway? I don't think I've ever told you…" Judy glanced away sheepishly. "Well, you see, about a month ago it occurred to me that I've known you for over a year and we've never really celebrated your birthday, so I just-well, I just looked it up in your police file." Nick chuckled as he continued to lean in for a kiss. "Well, that was pretty clever of you-hang on!" He drew back again. "You didn't happen to read anything else in there, did you?" Judy grinned mischievously. "Oh, not much... Nicholas _Piberius_ Wilde." Nick couldn't help but laugh. "Sly Bunny."

"Dumb Fox." Nick kissed her gently, his lips lingering on hers. The kiss lasted for a few blissful seconds, before Judy pulled away. "Hey, I have something for you." She handed him a cheesy birthday card that had a cartoon fox pictured on the front. Raising his eyebrows at Judy, Nick opened the card to find a note from her:

Dear, Nick;

I know we don't usually do birthdays, but we have known each other for so long and at this point, it's silly not to. I wanted to use this card to say the words I haven't been able to actually spit out. Life is busy and messy and we never really take the time to slow down and really acknowledge one another, so I thought this card would be a wonderful way for me to do that. What I'm trying to say is that I have you to thank for how far I have gotten in my life and in my career. You are truly the greatest best friend, partner, and life mate I could ask for. I look forward to the long life I know we have ahead of us, a life that I would love to spend every minute of with you. I am also so amazed and proud of what you have become since I have met you. You are not as bad as everyone makes you out to be, and I'm glad you gave me the chance to get to know the real Nick Wilde. Also, don't tell anyone this, and I'll deny it if you tell people, but I consider you my personal hero.

Love,

Judy

"By the way, my middle name is Laverne," Nick looked up from the card, a confused expression on his face. "You asked me almost a year ago, when we started dating. It's Laverne." Nick stared fondly at Judy, the "greatest feeling ever" sweeping over him again as he did so. "Thank you, Carrots," he whispered as he leaned in and kissed her again. Once they had parted, the two then leaned back in their seats, savoring the moment. "I guess we should go back in there," Nick finally sighed after a while. Judy grimaced. "Do you really think we should after what just happened?"

"Fair point."

"You should probably go change soon though."

"Why?"

"You smell like punch, and it isn't a good smell on you," Judy giggled. Nick couldn't help but laugh. "Yeah, thanks for that, by the way."

"Sorry."

"No, it's okay. I deserved it. I was a jerk to you."

"Yeah, but I lied to you."

"True, but I should have trusted you. That's my job and I failed miserably. I shouldn't have jumped the gun, especially after all we've been through." Judy smiled thoughtfully at him. Words couldn't express how grateful she was to have ever met him. "I love you, Nick."

"I love you too, Judy."

"No more surprise birthday parties?" Judy giggled. "No more surprise birthday parties," Nick snickered. A peaceful silence fell over the car once more as the two watched the party continue on inside. The party had now reached full volume, as laughter and music could be heard from outside. Nick smiled as his glance fell over his friends enjoying the night, even Finnick, who by the looks of it was flirting with a gazelle. "Nick?"

"Yeah?"

"Do you remember that night you broke my favorite toothbrush holder?"

"Ha, don't remind me." Judy playfully punched his arm. "I'm serious, do you?"

"Of course, why?"

"Do you remember why you broke it?"

"Yeah, I thought you were pregnant. Then I thought you were cheating. Turns out you were just planning a party. Nice, huh? Now I gotta buy a new toothbrush holder for you…" Nick trailed off at the thought of going shopping for something as pristine as a toothbrush holder. "You thought I was pregnant." It was a statement, not a question, and it left Nick very confused. He looked up at her, his eyebrows knotting slightly. "What are you getting at, Carrots?"

"Nick, I'm pregnant." Nothing. Dead silence. The silence filled the car, the tension so thick it could have been cut with a knife. Nick looked at Judy, a mixture of emotions playing across both of their faces. Feelings of shock, wonder, pride, excitement, and worry swept over them. "How long have you known?" he breathed. "I found out the day after."

"Do you know how far along you are?"

"Five weeks."

"Are you feeling okay?"

"Yeah, food is gross, though."

"That explains lunch today, and this morning when I couldn't find you, you weren't in the locker rooms the whole time, were you?"

"I had a doctor's appointment."

Nick nodded and couldn't help but smile at his cunning, deceiving, sly, little bunny. The two stared at each other, green into amethyst and vice versa, and they grinned. They beamed at the thought of the chaos to come. Their journey had only just begun, even with two years of knowing one another and one year of dating. As Nick let Judy's words sink in, he thought of the very first time they met.

 _"…Officer...?"_

 _"Hopps! Mr…?"_

 _"Wilde, Nick Wilde."_

Then, with one word, Nick seemed to summarize everything. This single word seemed to describe their love, their entire life, and their current situation. This word would always be used for them, the bunny and the fox, no matter the moment.

"Wow."

* * *

 ** _Okay, this is the end! Now, hear me out real quick: If you don't like the idea of where I'm headed with my next story, then let me know, since I'm not really sure if it will be well received. I have no problem with going back and just giving this a less extravagant end, if that makes sense, so just let me know. If this is a major go, then my next fanfic will be titled "Family," and I'm pretty sure you can already tell what is to come. I hope you all enjoyed this and thank you as always!_**

 ** _Love you all,_**

 ** _TatorTotTottish_**


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